


Exercise No. 502

by Sugar_and_Salt



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Even More Fluff, Fantasy, Fluff, M/M, Magic, Polyamory, Selkies, Students, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-10-04 03:54:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17297273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sugar_and_Salt/pseuds/Sugar_and_Salt
Summary: It's his second year at the institute, and Chanyeol still doesn't know whether he has any magical talent at all. To make matters worse, a stranger proposes to him because of a jacket. Yes, he doesn't really get it, either.





	Exercise No. 502

**Author's Note:**

  * For [northofthehouse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/northofthehouse/gifts).



> hello dear recipient!!  
> I wrote this on a very short notice, so please forgive me if this isn't what you had in mind or if it's too short ;;  
> your prompt was really adorable and I hope you like this even a little <3

 

The sun had long ago passed its zenith, causing the sunrays to bounce off the shore in a way that was dazzling. Chanyeol was sitting on one of the mangrove roots, bare toes brushing through the wet stones beneath him. He could have sat in the sea of green, sparkling sand and stones, but then the gentle waves might get his book all wet.

And the book was important to Chanyeol.

It was borrowed from the library, too.

Wiping pencil drawings off it was a given, but having it drenched might ruin it for good.

With his nose all scrunched up, Chanyeol reached for the pen he had tucked behind his ear, the smooth lacquer being delightfully unblemished. Usually, Chanyeol's pencils were full of dents and scratches where Chanyeol had dug his nails into the lacquer or maybe even absently chewed on them.

This was Kyungsoo's pencil though, so this, too, had to be treated with care.

Not Chanyeol's specialty, he had to admit, but he was trying.

Behind him, the forest covered every available surface, brimming with mysterious plants and animals but Chanyeol's eyes were glued to page 360, the tip of the pen hovering over the page.

 

**No. 381**

☐ Changing the shape of a leaf by focusing on it.

☐ b) changing the color

☐ c) changing it within five seconds

Chanyeol placed the pen on the page and searched for a suitable plant. When he found one he deemed a good choice, he started staring at it. Staring it down.

Five seconds passed. Ten. Fifteen.

Chanyeol crossed off the last option so he could stop counting and concentrate harder as he squinted at the leaf, willing it to change form. Or color.

It was silent as the young boy stared down an increasingly nervous plant. Or maybe that was just his imagination.

Chanyeol was good at imagining things. It was the part where he was supposed to _realize_ things that was giving him trouble.

He was squinting a little at this point. Hadn't it changed a little? Just around the frilly seams?

A loud crash ripped him out of his thoughts and the pen rolled off the page to land in the water with a comically anti-climactic sound. Chanyeol pouted unhappily as he slid off the root to fish out his pen, drying it on his sleeve. Behind him, someone was yelling.

"Don't tell me you lost it!"

With a pensive expression, Chanyeol dragged the pen over the back of his hand, testing whether it was still writing.

"Kim Jongin, come back here!"

Well, if he was being honest, he could probably cross the entire exercise off, Chanyeol thought. It had been quite a while and the leaf didn't seem any different. He waded over to the innocent plant raking itself around the mangrove root.

"I didn't! It's here, I know it!"

Nope. Still the exact same.

Behind him, water splashed as someone came closer. Chanyeol distractedly looked over his shoulder. He'd expected to be alone, as usual, but now he was looking at the bare back of someone around his age. He looked drenched, like he'd been going for a swim. Chanyeol wasn't judging him, and was about to get seated again when the boy silently cursed to himself, complaining about the cold.

Right, it was probably cold if you went swimming in nothing but your underwear. The wind was exceptionally chilly today, after all.

Chanyeol looked down at the book, flipping through the pages to find the one where he'd left off. For some reason, he looked up again though. The other was way too busy searching to have noticed Chanyeol (maybe a sign that he was bad at searching for things), and he shivered, causing him to shudder shortly, but violently.

He hesitated. Then he looked over at the plush, thick coat that had been lying there ever since he'd arrived. A tiny, but intense battle played out in his head until Chanyeol gave in and closed the book, safely placing it in a nook of the root. He climbed up and reached for the coat. It felt fluffier like any stuffed animal he'd ever touched, and was of a yellowish white. For a moment, Chanyeol kept grasping the sleeves and back of the coat, mesmerized by the feel of it. Then he heard a sneeze and snapped back into it. The other boy didn't seem to notice him at all, and Chanyeol didn't call out to him. Instead, he climbed along the roots and leaned towards the freezing boy to drape the coat over his back.

He yelped and then he whirled around, bright, hazel eyes staring at Chanyeol in shock.

"You'll get sick," Chanyeol simply commented. He had no idea why the boy was staring at him like he had just grown a pair of wings - a look down and behind himself confirmed that no, sadly Chanyeol looked like he always did, with no traces of magic showing anywhere.

The boy kept staring, looking utterly shell-shocked. Then someone broke through the covert, looking like he had battled a bush and lost.

"There you are," he said, spitting out a leaf, "now don't tell me-"

For some reason, the appearance of the other prompted the hazel-eyed boy to turn around and flee. Chanyeol could only watch the short, loud boy run after him. If someone were to yell at him like that, he'd probably be running as well.

For a moment, he stared after them, listened to the yells growing fainter.

Then he shrugged to himself and went to retrieve his book, finally crossing out exercise number 381. The incident might have been peculiar, but Chanyeol was a busy man and there were still 620 exercises to go.

 

* * *

 

The first days of school passed by in a blur, keeping Chanyeol busy. There were new subjects, new teachers, and new classmates he hadn't met during his first year.  
That's why he hesitated when someone directly approached him on campus, interrupting exercise number 395. Had he met this person before?

It was someone around his age, with dusty blonde hair that was dark at the roots (Chanyeol only noticed that because it was an unusual sight), kind eyes and slightly tanned skin.

"Hello," he said. His friendly voice matched his appearance.

Chanyeol nodded back at him.

"Hi," Chanyeol greeted him. The stranger stared at him with an expression Chanyeol couldn't care to decipher.

"Can I help you with something?" he asked instead when he realized that the other wasn't going to go anywhere. The stranger's gaze dropped to the floor.

"Uhm. Yes, actually. Or not. I just wanted to give you this."

He held out a little box that Chanyeol took, overtaken by curiosity. It was a nice box, with little sea shells glued to it.

"For me? Why is that?" Chanyeol asked, already gingerly opening the fragile-looking thing. Inside was a simple-looking, golden ring.

He was confused.

"Well, since you returned my coat last week," the boy began in a hushed tone, as if it wasn't something meant to be overheard, and then he lightly shook his head, evidently gathering courage. "I wanted to return the gesture in your tradition. It's only fair."

Chanyeol stared at the ring and then back at him, feeling like question marks were written all over his face.

"I know it's not the nicest ring, but it's all I could afford," the boy elaborated awkwardly.

"What kind of tradition are you talking about? We don't gift each other rings."

Infected by Chanyeol's confusion, the boy grew more insecure.

"No? But... really not? I thought this is how humans propose..."

If Chanyeol were anyone else, he might have choked on something now. But Chanyeol was not just anyone else, and it were moments like these that showcased the similarity between him and his brother Kyungsoo.

So instead of choking, or getting loud and dramatic, Chanyeol only scrutinized the ring as if it held an answer to all this, and then back at the stiff, nervous boy before him.

"You are proposing to me because I returned your jacket?" he asked, making sure that the situation was indeed as absurd as it seemed to him.

"My coat," the boy corrected him. "You returned my coat. I thought... did you think it was just a jacket?"

"A coat _is_ a jacket, no?" Chanyeol asked, and the boy groaned, looking utterly humiliated.

"No! A coat is very, very different!" he whined, hands covering his warm face. At least Chanyeol assumed it was warm because of how red it was.

"But why-?"

"I'm a selkie," the boy said almost stubbornly while peeking through his fingers. "And by returning my coat, you're now married to me."

A selkie. Chanyeol knew that selkies were beings that looked like seals until they took off their coat, which gave them a human appearance. He had never seen a selkie though. He didn't know selkies were even attending the institute, either.

He didn't know selkies could get married.

"I didn't mean to marry you," Chanyeol only said, and he didn't apologize, for that would mean that he'd done something wrong.

"Well, but you did," the boy replied, a little sheepish, but matter-of-factly.

"And you just accepted my proposal?" Chanyeol asked. The boy's expression was a mix between pout and grimace.

"Not like you gave me much of a choice..."

"I'm too young to get married."

That seemed to work, and the selkie looked surprised.

"Oh. You are?"

Chanyeol nodded, thinking that this might be the end of it, offering the box. It wouldn't be fair to keep the ring, after all.

The selkie looked a little helpless at the sudden conflict, shifting awkwardly, before coming to a decision.

"Alright, then we'll make it official when you're old enough. Keep the ring until then, okay? That makes it a promise!"

Before Chanyeol could say another word, the selkie had turned around to scurry away.

Like that, Chanyeol stood there, in the middle of the campus, holding a little box with a ring that was apparently his wedding ring now.

"Huh," he mumbled to himself, looking at the ring.

Then he stored it in his pocket and opened his book again. Exercise 391 was waiting, after all.

 

* * *

 

**No. 392**

☒ Plants grow faster if you touch them.

☒ b) if you sing for them

☒ c) if you look at them

☐ d) if you have positive feelings for them

  


"Are you studying?"

Chanyeol looked up and into the selkie's eyes that were peering onto the paper curiously. He hadn't heard him approaching, hadn't seen him since he'd given him the ring, really.

"Kinda," he said, gaze fixating back on the little daisy he was kneeling before.

"What are you studying for?" the selkie asked.

"I'm looking for my talent," Chanyeol replied, still staring the daisy down. It was a pretty little flower. He tried to send all his appreciation, too, though he wasn't sure the flower could read his mind. Or speak his language.

"You don't know it yet?"

The answer to this question was kinda obvious, so Chanyeol didn't bother. He felt the selkie making himself comfortable on the grass, and the silence didn't last long.

"Are you not human?"

"I am," Chanyeol confirmed, crouching a little closer to the flower to whisper at it.

"You're a _really_ pretty flower. I mean it."

"But humans only attend the institute if they have a talent, don't they?" the selkie asked, genuinely curious.

"Well, I have a talent. I just don't know what it is yet," Chanyeol insisted. "That's what this book is helping me with."

Nimble fingers pried the book out of his hands. Chanyeol let him.

Paper rustled as the selkie read the _1001 Ways to Locate your Inner Magic_.

"Why are you so sure that you got a talent?" he asked after a while. Chanyeol wasn't mad at him - he'd been faced with negativity and doubts before, and these weren't anything to take to heart.

"I'm not _entirely_ human, you know?" he explained, shifting a little so his ankle wouldn't fall asleep. "My father is a nymph, and so is my brother Kyungsoo. I wanted to attend school with him so he wouldn't be lonely out here. And surely, I must have inherited _some_ talent."

"A nymph," the selkie echoed. "He must sing beautifully."

"He does," Chanyeol confirmed distractedly. "Can you tell me whether this daisy here is taller than the others?"

"Huh?"

"Well, I can't exactly look for myself, or else I'd ruin the result."

Out of the corner of his vision, Chanyeol saw the selkie crouching down to compare the flowers sprouting from the grass.

"Uhm. It looks normal?"

"You don't think it grew even a little?" Chanyeol asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.

"Not that I can tell. I don't really have an eye for plants though," the selkie amended, and Chanyeol finally averted his gaze to look for himself. It really didn't look any taller than the others. With a sigh, he crossed off exercise 391 in the book. Then he looked at the selkie, who was watching him with mild interest.

"You never told me your name," Chanyeol said conversationally, watching the other's pretty eyes widen in embarrassment.

"I didn't?"

He shook his head.

"You just married me and ran away."

The selkie buried his face in his coat with a small groan. It was cute.

"I'm sorry, I was just nervous," he whined, and then forced himself to stop fidgeting and meet Chanyeol's eyes.

"I'm Jongin. And you are...?"

"Chanyeol."

"Okay."

With this, Jongin flipped to the next page in the book.

"Number 392," he read out aloud, and while Chanyeol attempted to make a grass blade sharp as a needle, the selkie sat next to him and watched, neither encouraging nor laughing at him.

Chanyeol was glad about that - he had to focus now.

 

* * *

 

Jongin showed up a lot. Chanyeol had no idea how he always managed to find him - not like he was hiding or anything.  
It turned out that Jongin was new to the institute and had only just arrived on the island after a long journey, marking him as the first selkie at the institute. His kind wasn't usually interested in other societies or forms of magic, but Jongin had told him that he wanted to dance, and that he had to become a part of the magical or human society to do that since selkies had no use for dancing abilities.

Either way, Chanyeol was already a second year and so they didn't share a lot of classes. Outside of those classes though, the selkie was all but glued to Chanyeol's side, which meant that it was only a matter of days until he first came in contact with the trenchant little whirlwind that was Baekhyun.

 

"You look stupid."

Chanyeol didn't lift his head from the ground, where his ear was pressed against the soft grass. He simply looked up to see unimpressed, steel grey eyes staring him down.

"Close enough. Chanyeol is the name," he offered helpfully, ignoring the stranger's obvious scorn. He'd heard worse.

"I know."

"How do you know? I've never seen you before," Chanyeol stated, and the other gaped at him.

" _Rude_."

"Baekhyun? Why are you here?"

It was Jongin's voice, and with a sigh, Chanyeol finally gave up on exercise 394 and sat up straight. His ear was slightly moist where it had been pressed against the grass.

"Cause I was hoping to see you here? With your new mate," the stranger said, intense disdain layered carefully on top of the last word. Jongin rolled his eyes.

"Stop it, Baek. I thought we were over this."

"Are you over him? No? Then I guess no one's over anything yet."

Chanyeol was pretty sure the boy made no sense at all, but he was too busy getting a hold of the stray grass blades sticking to his ear to mention that.

Next to him, Jongin plopped down with a petulant expression directed at the other boy. Now that Chanyeol thought about it, he might be boy who had chased Jongin around. His hair was of a mixed grey, and the thick coat resting around his shoulders suggested that he, too, was a selkie. He looked much more like one than Jongin, actually. Chanyeol had looked it up in a book the other day, that blonde selkies were extremely rare and that shades of silver and brown were more common.

Jongin was really pretty to look at though.

"You're talking nonsense, Baek," Jongin said, looking equal parts uncomfortable and stubborn as he slid even closer to Chanyeol. In response, the other selkie fixated on his next target - Chanyeol.

"You're not even wearing the ring," he accused him angrily. With furrowed brows, Chanyeol dug inside his hoodie to tug out the little chain he'd been wearing for awhile now. It wasn't like he had lost it, after all. That would have been somewhat rude.

Baek knelt down to rip it out of his hands with a harsh tug, and Chanyeol felt the chain dig into his throat. The little golden ring was dangling from it, blinking in the sunlight, and Baek's mood soured even further, if that was possible.

"Stop being mean to him, Baek. He didn't do anything," Jongin trailed off, and the other huffed.

"Exactly. He did _nothing_."

"Are you his brother?" Chanyeol asked, rubbing his neck when Baek let go of the chain at last. It was the only explanation he had for the other's unreasonable hostility.

Baek huffed.

"You wish. I'm his mate," he stated, putting an emphasis on himself, as if there was any way for them to compete for the title.

"You, too?" Chanyeol asked cluelessly, and Baek's gaze was icy.

"To your information, I picked up Jongin's coat _years_ ago. I was first. And I'm watching you."

With this, he got to his feet and stomped away. Chanyeol had no idea how he was going to watch him from that far away, but shrugged it off.

"I'm sorry," Jongin murmured, eyes resting on the grass. "He's not usually like that. It's all my fault. It's because I keep losing my coat... you probably thought Baekhyun and I exchanged it formally, but really, I just lost it as a kid and he was kind enough to bring it back to me."

Chanyeol looked at him, and then reached out without thinking, running his fingers over the plush coat resting around Jongin's shoulders. It made Jongin shudder and look up in unguarded surprise.

"Calm down. You only lost it two times. As long as no one else finds it, you're good, right?"

Jongin's expression was a little funny, and Chanyeol had a hard time reading it. Either way, he didn't leave after that and kept Chanyeol company as he lay down and attempted one more time to hear the earth talk to him. The way Jongin nuzzled his nose against Chanyeol's neck was highly distracting, but he was too nice to complain about it.

 

* * *

 

Baekhyun _really_ didn't like Chanyeol. He didn't like the way he spoke, the way he looked, and he didn't like it when he called him Baek. The last thing, Chanyeol could do something about. Regarding the others... let's just say that Chanyeol truly wanted peace and couldn't understand why Baekhyun even insisted on being in his presence if it bothered him to such an extent. Then again, it had probably something to do with Jongin following him around. And that...

...yes, why was that?

"Why do you keep following me?"

Jongin looked up from his school book about magical herbs.

"Well, you're my mate."

Chanyeol lifted an eyebrow at that.

"So?" he asked slowly.

" _So_?" Baekhyun echoed, with way more exasperation than necessary, if Chanyeol was concerned.

"Well, I should be close to you, should I not? That's what a mate is there for."

"Is that so? But why?"

Jongin seemed flustered by the question.

"Well... it's how it's supposed to be," he stated lamely, and when Chanyeol shot him a sceptic look, Baekhyun pinched his ear. Hard.

"I cannot believe how disrespectful you are," he complained, pulling at his ear for good measure, and Chanyeol yelped in pain. He hated it when people did that - when he was a kid, his parents had told him that his ears would grow even longer by tugging at them.

"You don't deserve Jongin, you don't even deserve him looking your way," Baekhyun complained, and Chanyeol tugged himself free, shooting him an unhappy look. It wasn't like he had asked for any of this.

"How am I supposed to know what selkie traditions entail?"

"Well, what do married humans do?" Baekhyun asked almost challengingly, and Jongin tugged him down, looking all kinds of embarrassed.

"That's not the same, Baek," he said, voice a little high-pitched, and it was Baekhyun's turn to stare at him in brash confusion.

"Is it not?"

"No!"

"Then what _do_ married humans do?"

"About that..." Jongin trailed off helplessly, and Chanyeol huffed as he rubbed his stinging ear.

"You keep complaining, but don’t even know anything about humans either."

Baekhyun didn't back down even a little.

"Well, not like _I'm_ married to one-"

Chanyeol tuned out after that, and let the two selkies bicker among themselves. Whatever made them happy. He still had an essay to write before he could return to his book.

 

* * *

 

It was rare to have the book rest in Chanyeol's bag, all closed and forgotten for the moment, but watching Kyungsoo swim was always delightful to Chanyeol. There were quite a few people spread over the stony seats next to the pool, with most of them enjoying the sunlight and water reflections on their skin. Chanyeol wasn't exactly healed by the mere presence of water like some other species, but seeing Kyungsoo dive alongside the other water creatures made him feel warm inside. His brother had always been a little withdrawn and quiet, but he seemed so comfortable and adorable right now-

"Who are you looking at?"

Chanyeol didn't even bother sparing anything but a glance at Baekhyun, who was dripping wet and had apparently made his way over to him just to ask him this question. And to maybe catch him off guard by sneaking up on him, but Chanyeol was too enraptured to even notice - at this point, the presence of Jongin and Baekhyun had almost become a given.

"The small one, the one with the blue tail, can you see him?" Chanyeol asked absently, and Baekhyun huffed.

"The stocky one who keeps squinting at everyone? Why would you even-"

"He's prettier than _you_ , that's for sure," Chanyeol snapped with slight irritation, before willing the negativity away.

"How dare you?" he heard Baekhyun say, but when he didn't entertain him any further, the selkie left, slipped into his coat and jumped into the pool to swim a few aggressive rounds in his seal form. That, too, went largely unnoticed by Chanyeol, who jumped to his feet to go and wrap Kyungsoo in a towel.

"I can do this by myself, stop-" Kyungsoo protested, but he was smiling. They had both inherited rather deep voices from their father, but Kyungsoo's was much prettier, in Chanyeol's opinion. It also had the power to either serenade or hurt people, though Chanyeol was immune to that. Kyungsoo's new friend, a loud and joyful fellow nymph called Jongdae, joined in on the fun and started messing up Kyungsoo's hair even further. Chanyeol laughed, taking half a step back as the two started wrestling playfully, and that's when he noticed Jongin breaking out of the water with a deep gasp. Jongin didn't pay him any mind and just turned, counted to two, and then he was diving into the water again. Unlike Baekhyun, he had remained in his human form, and now it made sense that he had given his coat to Chanyeol earlier that day. It would have probably weighed him down now. He was swimming fast and focused, movements stronger and more forceful than those of nymphs, but Chanyeol found that beautiful, too, in its own way.

  


He was surprised when Baekhyun dumped a bag of snacks in his lap a while later, muttering an apology under his breath before making himself scarce.

Chanyeol was largely confused about that, but Jongin only snuck his hand inside the bag to snatch one of the candies.

"He told me what happened. He didn't know Kyungsoo was your brother," he explained in between candy number one and candy number three - the second one had gone lost along the way. Chanyeol looked after the other selkie, and then dragged the bag out of Jongin's reach.

"You really exerted yourself earlier, you should eat something proper," he commented. The sad way Jongin eyed the sweets had him give in and offer the bag one last time before he got to his feet to get something more healthy to eat - together with Baekhyun.

Kyungsoo could have the candies - after all, he had been insulted and not him.

 

* * *

 

 **No. 412** ****  


☒ Water changes temperature according to your emotions  
  
☒ b) evaporates upon feeling agitated

 

Chanyeol crossed that one off after sitting at the shore, bare legs in the water and concentrating for at least an hour. Maybe he hadn't been angry enough.

 

**No. 420**

  
☒ Water feels prickly and leaves marks on your skin  


☒ b) when you're agitated

  
☒ c) when you want it to

  
☒ d) when you don't want it to

 

He crossed that one off, as well. He should really go home. The sun was sinking already, and even Jongin and Baekhyun had retreated for the day.

 

 **No. 435**  
  
☒ Water starts to freeze upon blowing air on it

  
☒ b) upon flicking it

  
☒ c) at your will

 

The water was cold. Only Chanyeol was freezing though. It was so cold.

He should go home.

 

With a dejected sigh, he crossed that one off as well, willing the frustrated tears away.

 

* * *

 

"Don't you want to try the next one, Chanyeol?"

 

Jongin sounded casual, really, but Chanyeol didn't react at all and kept staring at exercise 445.

"Are you okay?" Jongin asked, and a nearby-sitting student scoffed.

"You're wasting your time on him."

Bewildered, Jongin looked at the boy who was a complete stranger to him, but not to Chanyeol. Chanyeol wasn't paying him any mind though, which was why the student sat up properly to shoot Jongin a look full of pity.

"I don't know how you selkies are when it comes to reading humans, but he's rejecting you right now," the boy supplied with an unimpressed look towards Chanyeol's hunched form.

"How do you know that?" Jongin asked, slightly unhappy at the unwelcome intrusion. The boy huffed.

"Because he rejects everyone. He's all alone for a reason. Because he wants it like that."

Jongin was looking at him, that much Chanyeol could tell, but he didn't have the heart to look back at him. He didn't say anything, either, allowing the wiry boy to continue.

"That's why I'm telling you that you're wasting your time. The only thing he cares about is finding proof that he _isn't_ entirely human and without magic-"

"Be quiet," Jongin snapped, grabbing the coat around his shoulders a little tighter. "Why are you being so hurtful? If you want to be his friend, you should just try to be nice instead."

"You really are dense, aren't you?" the boy hissed, and maybe Jongin had hit a nerve by saying that. "I'm not trying to be his friend - he's not worth it, but if you insist on pitying him, then suit yourself-"

Chanyeol got to his feet without looking anyone in the eye, pressing the book to his chest as he walked away with brisk steps.

Calls of his name and smug statements flew after him but he wasn't listening. He wanted to be alone.

Though the boy hadn't been entirely wrong when he'd said that Chanyeol was usually alone.

It wasn't like he _hadn't_ noticed.

He was a weirdo. And yet entirely unmagical.

"Chanyeol, wait!"

He ducked in between a few trees, avoiding anyone's eyes. He could hear Jongin follow him but he didn't tell him to leave.

It would be strange, to feel lonely and then reject someone who reaches out to you, wouldn't it?

Chanyeol finally stopped, his back leaning against one of the institutes walls. It was cool against his back and the sounds of the students milling around was somewhat muted.

It was a pretty typical spot for Chanyeol to retreat to, if he had to stay near the vicinity. He slumped down until he was sitting on the dusty ground, the book lying in the dirt next to him.

Jongin was seeking his gaze, silently asking for permission to join him. Chanyeol just sighed and stared at the book and the dry earth already sprinkled over its cover.

With his father being a nymph, he had really thought that the water exercises would finally bring out his talent. It didn't seem that way though, and he was already half-way through them.

"What's wrong?" Jongin asked, quiet but concerned. There was a respectable distance between them, but he was leaning towards him, trying to read his expression.

Chanyeol shook his head. It wasn't all that convincing, he had to admit that.

"This isn't about that boy earlier, right?" Jongin asked, and now shaking his head made a little more sense.

"Then why? You seem... upset," Jongin stated for lack of a better term.

Baekhyun was probably right - he really didn't deserve Jongin.

"It's been one and a half years," Chanyeol began silently. "Someone gave me the book by the end of the first semester, and I'm at exercise 445 now."

The book was just lying there, looking a little weathered, but perfectly innocent. Chanyeol was tired of seeing it.

"I did 100 exercises linked to air, 100 that were about animals, 100 about minds, 100 about plants, and 45 about water..."

He finally tore his gaze off the book, and up at Jongin, who was watching him attentively.

"Maybe," he began, and yes, maybe it was time to finally say it out loud. It couldn't get any realer than it was already.

"Maybe I really didn't inherit any magic after all."

He saw the flicker of surprise on Jongin’s expression, followed by something mellow. Probably pity. That was nice though. Chanyeol would like to be a strong person who resents being pitied, just like Baekhyun would, but he'd been feeling lonely for quite a while now, with his only company being his brother and an old book since he had arrived on the island.

Jongin really was too kind.

"Don't say that," he heard him murmur, and then there was a hand on his shoulder. He hadn't realized that he'd avoided his eyes again, that his vision was blurring out at the edges. Jongin looked a little sad, maybe even a little confused, but like he really wanted to make him feel better.

"The book has a thousand exercises, right? You're not even halfway done, so don't give up now..."

"Attending this school as a mere human is kinda useless though, is it not?" Chanyeol asked, and it seemed like all the ugly questions he'd kept down all this time were suddenly bubbling up now that someone was really listening to him. "I should just have them transfer me to a regular school, don't you think?"

"Oh. Would you want that?" Jongin asked, and he did look a little taken aback. With a heavy exhale, Chanyeol placed his forehead on Jongin's shoulder. His plush coat was tickling his cheek, and it was infinitely comforting.

"Of course not," he whispered.

"I don't want to leave. I love this place. I _love_ magic. I really, really want to have a talent. Anything. Really, anything would be enough."

He could feel Jongin's chin rest on his head.

"I really like to be here, too, more than I expected I would. Maybe it's because you make it look so exciting."

When Chanyeol didn't reply immediately, Jongin added, "Your enthusiasm is infectious, really."

He couldn't help a bitter little huff at that.

"Not like I care about anything else..."

"It's okay," Jongin countered, sounding warm, but also certain, as he nudged Chanyeol's cheek with his nose, backing away just enough to look him in the eye.

"I like that part of you. I like that you're trying so hard - that alone is more valuable than you think. In fact, I can't wait to see what your talent is. Let's create something beautiful together when you find it, okay?"

Chanyeol exhaled, blinking away the last remnants of upcoming tears and looked back at the book. He felt a little reluctant, like the book had betrayed him, but it was just a book. It was Chanyeol himself who was stumbling, and Jongin who steadied him.

"You want to try another one?" Jongin asked encouragingly.

With a deep sigh, Chanyeol grabbed the book. Not like he had much of a choice.  


Jongin really did like the water-based exercises, and when he slipped into his coat at the beach, Chanyeol couldn't help smiling as he fooled around in the water. At his playfulness, his openness, just Jongin in general.

He couldn't remember having smiled like this without Kyungsoo around.

 

* * *

 

The water exercises passed by in a blur and before he knew it, his bookmark was tucked right next to exercise number 490, and a few leaves had turned colorful long ago. There was no actual fall or winter on their island, much to the dismay of some species, who had begun to build their own winter wonderlands in the cellars of the institute. Chanyeol liked the mild weather though. Like this, he could always go to the beach, bare feet running through fine, emerald stones or climbing the giant roots of his beloved mangroves. The Eastern shore of the island had always been his favourite place on the island, and that hadn't changed. Now he had another reason to appreciate the warm weather though, and that was seeing Jongin (and Baekhyun) play in the water, with or without their coat. He couldn't picture the selkies in winter - though their coats would be perfectly suited for cold weather. Still, they loved playing in their human forms, they loved the water, loved it with every fibre of their being. Even if they weren't swimming, they'd spend time at the beach, sometimes studying, sometimes relaxing. A lot of the times, Jongin was dancing, and that was a sight that managed to even drag Chanyeol's attention away from the pages. Jongin danced like he moved underwater, with an inborn graceful force and liveliness that looked like magic itself. As soon as he graduated, he'd become a star wherever he'd decide to go, Chanyeol was sure about that.

He wasn't allowed to attend Jongin's annual evaluation in early winter, but he'd seen him practice so much that Chanyeol could replay the entire dance in his mind. He was waiting in front of the building, nose buried in his book as usual, when the door opened long after the music had stopped. By the time Chanyeol looked up, Jongin had already rushed past him, all but running ahead.  
Bewildered, Chanyeol got to his feet and followed after him, not without throwing one last confused look into the building. Jongin had been the only one to leave, though no evaluation seemed to be ongoing anymore.

He didn't have to run or search, so Chanyeol stuck to a brisk pace. He knew where Jongin would be, anyway.

Indeed the selkie was sitting at the emerald shore, curled in on himself with the water leisurely sloshing around his ankles.

Chanyeol placed his bag on the ground where the water was unlikely to reach it, and then sat down next to him.

Jongin kept hiding his face - this time he wasn’t fidgeting and embarrassed though, but perfectly still.

"How did it go?" Chanyeol asked slowly, entirely unsure about how Jongin would like to be talked to. He wasn't that good at comforting people in the first place. He wasn't used to it.

"I messed up."

Jongin sounded like he was crying, and Chanyeol's brain short-circuited.

"Oh."

"It was so _bad_ ," Jongin added, the frustration palpable.

Chanyeol awkwardly placed his hand around Jongin's shoulders.

"Did you forget your steps?"

"No..."

Chanyeol racked his brain to look for other reasons, but thinking was hard when Jongin was presumably crying.

"Uhm. Did you fall?"

"No," Jongin whined, and then he finally looked up, staring out into the sea, looking ruffled. "It was just badly executed. My tempo was off and the last part was really awkward-"

His eyes were red, but at least there were no tears rolling down, so Chanyeol hoped that nothing was lost yet.

"But you say that a lot when you look nothing but perfect," he tried, but Jongin wouldn't have it.

"You always say that, even when I mess up," he argued, and well, there was no denying that Chanyeol lacked an eye for these kind of things. And yet...

"I'm sure you were doing great. Maybe you could be even better next time?"

Jongin looked at him with doubts written all over his face. Chanyeol's hand dropped into the sand, but he fought the instinct to just get up and leave Jongin alone.

"You told me my tries matter, so why don't yours?" he asked, and the other looked almost comically surprised, like he hadn't thought of it that way. Maybe he hadn't.

He should have. But in a strange way, that part about him was beautiful, too.

Before he could keep his doubts alive any longer, Chanyeol did something he'd been thinking about for a while now, and leaned in close enough to brush his lips against Jongin's.

It was chaste, fleeting even, but it resonated with him, squeezing his insides in the best way possible. He felt Jongin's breath hitch against his lips, and then wide, brown eyes stared at him in, both shocked and flustered.

"That's what married people do," Chanyeol whispered, eyes coming to a rest on Jongin's lips. Not because he was too shy to look up. It was just hard to look away.

"I thought," Jongin began, all the negative thoughts completely wiped away, "I thought you don't like me that much."

The ridiculousness of the statement had Chanyeol leaning in again, and this time he gave Jongin time to respond, which he did. It was tender and careful, all warm, hitched breaths and slightly salty skin. Jongin tasted like the sea, and Chanyeol felt strangely honoured to be allowed to notice that.

" _That's_ what this is all about?!"

They both jumped away from each other, staring up at Baekhyun, who was looking furious with his arms crossed, staring down at them. To be fair, Baekhyun usually looked at least somewhat ready to fight, but now Chanyeol felt remorse, for once.

"That's what married people do?" he asked again, and Chanyeol's gaze dropped to the sand, mentally preparing himself for what was to come.

He did not expect to have something fluffy land in his lap. The plush, silky silver fur smelled distinctly foreign, distinctly like Baekhyun.

Confused, Chanyeol looked up.

"Pick it up for me."

It was an order, and everything about that was so _strange_ that Chanyeol didn't move at all. Baekhyun waited, and when no reaction came, his stubborn expression cracked, showing glimpses of vulnerability that Chanyeol knew existed, but hadn't ever seen directed at him.

" _Please_."

Next to him, Jongin looked a little tense, but refused to meet his eyes, leaving the choice to Chanyeol alone.

He looked up at the selkie that had given him nothing but attitude, trouble, and endless attention. A strange kind of devotion, really.

Befitting for the strange person Chanyeol was.

With a sigh, he gave in and tugged Baekhyun down into the sand, where he properly placed his coat around his shoulders.

Jongin's smile was blindingly bright as he hugged them both, and for the first time since he'd left his home, Chanyeol felt like he had found a place to be in.

 

* * *

 

 

**No. 502**

 

☑ Touching a flame does not cause pain

 

☑ b) for around three seconds

  
☑ c) for a minute and longer

  
☐ d) only mental pain

  


"This makes no sense, your father is a _nymph_!"

Baekhyun sounded almost exasperated.

Chanyeol only laughed, fingers playing with the candle flame.

"You finally did it!" Jongin cheered, almost tackling him down in a hug, when both their vision was blurred by something heavy falling on them.

With a muffled sound of protest, they both wiggled free, feeling ruffled as they followed Baekhyun's gaze and looked up and behind them.

It was Jongdae, the nymph, looking dripping wet but cheery nonetheless.

"You forgot your coat on the bleachers! I thought I'd bring it back-"

Jongin paled while Chanyeol and Baekhyun groaned loudly.

 

“What? What’s wrong?” Jongdae asked, and Chanyeol couldn’t help cracking a smile.  
There was never a dull moment with Jongin.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I don't know if this came across in any way, but I tried to give everything a bit of an anime vibe, and to give chanyeol a tendency to hyperfocus. I hope I offended no one! as per usual, there's many forms this can take, and chanyeol only represents one of them
> 
> thanks for reading <3


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